The series of massive caverns had been made naturally. The free flowing beauty of the rock formations took their breath away as the trio followed Anderson to his prefab. Shepard was particularly taken with the place. She'd seen a few caves on Earth after she joined the Alliance. Nothing there compared to this. The smell wasn't so different, musky, mineral and oddly colors were extraordinary. Instead of the dull, mono toned hues of beige and gray, these formations were red and mauve with indigo patterns where plant life had once clung to the rocks. Giant crystal formations tipped in red, like blood from a wound, jutted out of pools of clear water. Silvery, eyeless fish like creatures swam in some of these pools. They appeared to use tiny hairs all over their bodies to swim and detect each other as well as particles of food. She even caught sight of two of them plainly diddling each other. It almost made her blush. It was the most interesting base they had hid in to date. The others had been asteroids and dead moons. Hardly anything to write home about.
"David, this place is amazing!" She said.
"The salarians love it. Groups of them are always studying the fish or the crystals. The water is fresh and drinkable. I think it tastes like sea grass, but that's just me."
Sonya wrinkled her nose. Both turians chuckled at her. Sonya rolled her eyes and smirked. It was nice to be somewhere that they didn't have to worry about a Reaper spotting them. Though, that stress free feeling was about to tense up again once they began the conversation that she was sure waited for them in David's pre-fab.
David opened the door for them and closed it behind him after they had gone inside. It wasn't anything special. Just a functional space that offered minimum comfort. The extra room lay off to one side. The partition divider was folded up against the wall to make the living area feel bigger. The room was much smaller than the Loft on the Normandy, but there would be plenty of space. The group sat down at the small table under a glassless window while David set some water boiling on the small stove hardly more that a couple meters away from them. It was an uncomfortable fit, but not so tight they were touching elbows. David sat down across from Sonya and folded his hands on the table. After a few moments of awkward silence David decided to start.
"Don't just sit there. I expect conversation." He teased, trying to cut through the obvious tension between them. "Tell me about the Normandy, battle story's, Gardner's cooking, anything. How's Dr. Chakwas and Joker?"
"Joker's dating Kelly." Sonya blurted.
David's eyes grew wide, then he laughed.
"That bastard's got a girl?" He laughed again.
It was good to hear him relax. The corners of her mouth turned up at the sound, but it wasn't quite a grin. She was flexing her fingers. Nihlus' sharp eyes spotted the tell and felt inclined to hold her hand, but he worried it might be inappropriate given the circumstances.
"Well, as long as he's happy." David said.
The water was boiling and David got up to add some seasoning and protein neutral noodles. He hadn't expect Nihlus to return, but Sonya always did find ways to surprise him. He chopped a few vegetables and mixed them with a light oil in a pan. It didn't take long for them to brown. Setting the pan aside, he sat back down to the quiet table.
"So who will you and your mate be staying here?" He asked Sonya, subtly insisting. "You would be sharing a larger pre-fab with the entire crew. Maybe two linked together, but I can promise you, you're privacy will be nearly non-existent."
"David, I appreciate your offer, but..." Sonya hesitated. .
She flexed her fingers hard enough to turn the knuckles white. Then a rough turian hand closed over hers. She looked up into the reassuring peridot eyes of her former lover and bond mate. Nihlus' mandibles twitched, then he turned to Anderson.
"We don't want to intrude." He stated politely.
Sonya's eyes lit up with the sudden realization of what the turian had just said without using the words. She gave his hand a squeeze.
David was happy for her, but confused. He'd expected them to, well, he wasn't sure what he expected. He glanced over at Garrus who seemed quite content. He even thought he saw the turian grinning. Now he was really confused. He got up to drain the noodles and add the sauce.
"You're not intruding. I'll get out the extra bedding." He called over his shoulder to them. He glanced back in time to see Nihlus nuzzle Sonya. He expected a measure of jealousy form Garrus, or anger. When he saw neither David was thoroughly impressed.
"Okay, dad," Sonya teased. She was smiling. "We'll stay. Thank you."
"Good, well, food's done. It's not much, but it's better than rations."
He set a bowl in front of each of them with the appropriate eating utensil.
"Thank you, David." Sonya said again.
"Please, it's just 'dad' at home." He told her.
Since his family, ex-wife and son, had been lost on Earth, he'd felt an emptiness. Having his 'daughter' with him, even for a short time, helped the lingering pain and guilt.
Sonya smiled and nodded. She knew his pain, and if it helped stay with him and call him 'dad' it was the least she could do.
David sat down and looked up at the turian men who sat to either side of him. He decided she couldn't have picked finer companions in any circumstance.
After a dinner filled with good conversation and laughter, Shepard activated her omni-tool and sent a message to the Normandy informing the crew of the arrangements in the barracks. They could get there on their own. She didn't need to hold their hands. Garrus excused himself and thanked Anderson for the meal before heading to the barracks to sleep.
"I'm going to hit the sack too, kids." David said, placing the last dish in the cleaning unit. "Good night."
David headed off to the opposite end of the pre-fab.
"Who votes we use this opportunity to 'settle in'?" Sonya asked Nihlus with a smirk. She didn't have to ask twice.
Caves have a tendency to echo, so they kept it as quiet as they could. That meant taking it slow and gentle. She still had difficulty keeping the volume of her moans down. Who knew something as aggressive and hard as a turian could be so tender and passionate? She lost track of time and reason in the tangle of limbs and sheets. They didn't speak a word. They didn't need to. His bond with her had never faded. It wasn't reliant on scent or time. They just were. When morning came they were asleep, wrapped up in one another. Nihlus' face was bent to hers and they breathed each other's air. He was still joined with her as they slept, his body slowly receding from her. She had no nightmares that night.